Miss Independent CHAPTER 3 UPDATED
by Letalis
Summary: After a night of confessions and tears, Remus and Tonks attempt a relationship, and chaos ensues, based on a songfic. PG13 for mild kissing scenes.
1. Miss Independent

Title-Miss Independent

Rating- PG-13, for a kissing scene. Oh, come on, you'll live! Just read it!! 

Warnings- None, unless for some reason you don't like fluff. Who doesn't like fluff? 

Pairings- Remus/Tonks

Disclaimer- If I owned Harry Potter or anything in any way related to it, I would probably have better things to do with my time than sit around and write fan fiction. But I don't; so yay for time that I don't have better things to do with!!

Author's Note- I became randomly inspired with this fic when I had this song stuck in my head all day. Then I though hey, wouldn't that make a great fan fiction? And since I'm in a romanticy mood today, you all get to see it in all it's fluffy glory:-D Oh, and if you want a time frame, just stick it somewhere in OOTP because, really, it's not about agreeing with the story. It's about Remus and Tonks! I originally intended this to be a one-shot, but this fic is possibly to expand, if I get enough reviews. So review! Please? I'll love you forever...

[Edit]: Since I've decided to expand this, assume this chapter takes place near the beginning of OOTP. This fic will hopefully cover the RL/NT ship all the way through OOTP, so I figure what's a better starting point than the beginning? Unless it's the end and you're going backwards. But I'm not. So…enjoy!

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Nymphadora Tonks poured herself a cup of steamy hot coffee and took a sip. She sighed in relief-her work for the day was done. For the night was more like it; even though she wasn't on night guard again, she had been kept out till nearly midnight trying to sort out paperwork for the Order. Paperwork, honestly! Although she was glad to help the Order, one would think a highly qualified Auror had better things to do with her time. She pulled a kitchen chair out from under the table and sat down. Somehow, she still wasn't tired. Bodily she was exhausted, but she knew her mind wouldn't allow her to sleep. She produced a red and white stripped straw from the air with her wand and stirred the coffee rhythmically, sinking into a trance of mangled thoughts. Thank goodness no one was here to disturb her from her thoughts; now that she was in the Order she hardly ever got a minute to think. 

But of course, her time alone with her thoughts didn't last long.

_Miss independent  
Miss self-sufficient  
Miss keep your distance_

"Tonks? Tonks, is that you?" Came a tired voice from the doorway. She jumped in her seat, causing coffee to spill down a pair of faded jeans. A small shriek quickly followed as she turned around simultaneously.

"Bloody hell, Remus! You didn't have to scare me like that, you know! Scourgify!" She spoke the last to her wand, which got rid of most of the coffee stain but left a damp spot on her jeans.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I was just...wondering who could be downstairs this late," he sighed lightly. "Get much work done?"

She growled under her breath. He gave a quiet chuckled. "I'll take that as a no. Mind if I sit down?"

"Go ahead, and take some coffee, too. I think I've made too much."

"Why did you make coffee this late at night?"

She paused. "I don't know. It always calms me down-" Wait-had she let him in too far? He shouldn't know the things that calmed her down, or riled her up, or got her to crack a smile, for that matter. He shouldn't be allowed into her mind, that she was readily allowing him access to now. "Err…never mind."

"No, I know exactly what you mean. But I'm wondering how much later you plan on staying awake tonight."

"Who are you, my father? I'm a grown woman now, I'll stay up as late as I want, thanks," the words came out more harshly than she'd intended them. Honestly, she didn't want to say them at all. But if she didn't...well, then things might get too personal. And she most definitely couldn't afford things getting more personal with Remus. She'd get ahead of herself and things could go horribly wrong. She ignored his efforts to help her out of her chair and busily set her wand to cleaning and replacing the coffee cup. 

_Miss unafraid  
Miss out of my way  
Miss don't let a man interfere, no_

_Miss on her own  
Miss almost grown  
Miss never let a man help her off her throne_

"Tonks, are you feeling alright?"

No, she wasn't. She was feeling very much like she'd make herself sick with the thoughts she'd been having about the man right before her eyes if she didn't get out of the room that minute. But really, what harm could being nice do?

"Sorry, Remus. I just-I'm tired, I guess."

He took a long sip from his coffee mug. "You're fine, nothing to apologize for." He raised the mug slightly, "How did you become so good at making coffee? Surely you wouldn't have had much need, growing up in a wizarding family?"

"No, it's something I picked up right before my apparition test. Rumors were going around that it stopped your ears from popping."

"And does it?"

"Well, no, not really," she felt her face gain a pinkish tinge at revealing she'd been foolish enough to believe things the other people were saying. "But it's nice to have something warm in you, all the same."

"Ah. I see." He smiled, seeming to go into a daze from behind his golden hazel eyes. She wondered vaguely what was going on in his mind at that moment before being able to pull herself together and remembering she now had no reason to remain in the kitchen. She knew she was drawing suspicion to herself, but she didn't want to leave.

_  
So, by keeping her heart protected  
She'd never ever feel rejected  
Little miss apprehensive  
Said ooh, she fell in love  
  
_

"Tonks, I mean no offense, but you honestly do look tired. Are you sure you wouldn't consider going to bed?" He stood and pushed his wooden chair back under the table, sending his coffee mug to be cleaned with a flick of his wand.

Her hand slid up to her forehead and supported her brain, which was slowly beginning to take a backseat to her heart. 'Get out of there,' her brain begged her, 'before you screw this one up!' But its voice was becoming fainter and fainter, and all she heard was the velvety flow of Remus' voice tainting the very air around her. 

"You're right," she said softly. "Perhaps I should," although it sounded more like a thought than a plan. Wait, was he closer now? And what was that in his eyes? She wouldn't allow herself to dare to think-

"Alright. Goodnight then." If possible, his voice came more slowly and quietly than hers. His long fingers reached slowly to her face and replaced a few stray strands of her hair. She relished the feel of his fingers against her skin, wanting to stay in the moment forever. She swallowed a sigh and attempted to regain what was left of her composure. She could never remember feeling so weak in all her life, and she had never remembered enjoying her weakness.

"Yes…Goodnight…" She felt the last of her sanity leave her body with an exhale. At this moment she had nothing to lose; his face was so close to her she wanted to scream, to end the torture before it agonized her any longer. Just when she felt about to give out, she felt his lips brush against hers, so softly it might have been by accident if he hadn't known, if they both hadn't known he'd meant it. But that wasn't enough-she wouldn't let him stop there, she'd waited too long. Closing her eyes, she took his gentle, placid face in her hands and kissed him more deeply, using her tongue to part his smooth lips. He responded quickly and not only allowed her access to him, but kissed her harder, with a need, with an emotion so much more intense than desire he could never find the words. Back in her head, she heard the voice of her brain calling back to her. She willed it away from her consciousness, tried to make it smaller, but it shouted at her until she could no longer enjoy the fact that she, Nymphadora Tonks, had just kissed the man she'd loved for longer than she cared to admit, the man she'd been thinking up till this moment that she'd never be with in this way. Now she was certain she could never do this. She broke away from him suddenly, rendering him speechless. The light in his eyes told her what she already knew-that he wasn't done with her. She hoped her eyes didn't give the same message away; now she understood why people who are lying blink so much. In effort to conceal her eyes, her windows to the world, she concentrated on changing them to another color as she spoke, trying to summon the emotion of anger that simply wouldn't come.

"I think that's a bit of enough. Good**night**, Remus," she said with force. She turned and left him staring at the backs of her jeans as she strode out of the room and up to her own.

_  
What is this feelin' takin' over?  
Thinkin' no one could open my door  
Surprise...It's time  
To feel what's real  
What happened to Miss Independent?  
No longer need to be defensive  
Goodbye, old you  
When love is true_

As soon as the door to her room was shut, she plopped down on her bed and attempted to pull out her hair, which had just gone a brilliant shade of magenta. She started to scream into her pillow in frustration, but realized she didn't want to contaminate the place where his lips had been just moments ago. This thought only made her want to scream harder. Love wasn't supposed to be this hard! If only they weren't in the Order together, or even if she was just a few years older it might seem more possible. But she could never be with Remus. It just didn't make sense. Not to mention that voice in her mind would never allow such a thing. She wanted to drive it out of her head, to make it stop making things complicated, but at the same time she wanted to build a shrine to it, for it seemed the only sensible thing in her life. 

Except for Remus. But he was a different story._  
  
  
_

_Miss guarded heart  
Miss play it smart  
Miss if you want to use that line you better not start, no  
But she miscalculated  
She didn't want to end up jaded  
And this miss decided not to miss out on true love_

She laid her head on the wrong end of the bedspread and decided just to think for a minute. She already knew she was in way over her head-she most certainly didn't need any voice to tell her that. But did it really matter? What would happen if she went straight back downstairs and told Remus exactly how she'd felt for all this time? What would he say? It was obvious to her now that he wouldn't hate her. But would she be ready for whatever his reaction happened to be? 

She wanted him. But was it as simple as that?

A knock at her door answered her question.

_  
So, by changing her misconceptions  
She went in a new direction  
And found inside she felt a connection  
She fell in love.  
  
_

"Tonks? You've got to be in there, please open the door."

She sighed as she rose and approached the door. Whatever he had to say, she wanted to hear.

"Yes, Remus?" She cleared her voice of all emotion. She didn't know when she'd mastered this talent, but it had come in handy more times than she could count, and it wouldn't fail her now. 

"May I come in?"

"Of course, of course," a hint of an icy tone crept into her voice. He entered and closed the door behind him. She suddenly wondered if she trusted herself alone in a room with a door that closed after her display of weakness downstairs. Well, there was no backing out now. After several moments, she realized he hadn't spoken.

"Did you want something, Remus?"

"Not me. You."

"Excuse me?" She tried to hide her surprise. What kind of game was he playing?

"You want something. You want me. You know you do, don't you even try to deny it," he said as she opened her mouth in protest. "Just let me tell you this, alright? It's obvious now. All the casual glances, all the favors, all the times we've taken jobs with each other, it meant something. Neither of us can hide it any longer, alright? That means me, too. I'm telling you this because I want you to hear it, because otherwise you'll try to forget and you know you can't. Part of you knows that wouldn't be right. It's my job to fix the other part, because I won't let you let me go. And I won't let you go, either. You know I'd never hurt you. You know I care for you, and now you know I love you. That's all that matters, Tonks, and you know it. You do." He ended with such finality and force she'd never known him to have.

_  
What is this feelin' takin' over?  
Thinkin' no one could open my door (open my door)  
Surprise...It's time (yeah)  
To feel what's real  
What happened to Miss Independent?  
No longer need to be defensive  
Goodbye (goodbye), old you (oh you)  
When love, when love is true  
  
_

"But…I can't." She began to wring her hands nervously, trying to think of some way she could fix this in her mind so she hadn't kissed him mere minutes ago, so she didn't so desperately want to collapse into his arms and spend the rest of her life there…

"Why? Why can't you?"

"Because it's you. You're Remus…I could never do that to our friendship."

He took one of her graceful hands into his own slender palm. "Listen to me," he began quietly, his eyes boring into hers now, and she knew that if she tried to conceal herself, if she tried to mask her love away, he'd know. "Listen, Tonks, you can't do this all your life. You can't deny yourself a love just because some part of you thinks it makes you stronger. I won't let you do that. Because now that you know, now that we both know, I don't know if I could live if I let you go away."

She could feel a tear forming in her eye. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. Of course, no one else made her feel so many emotions she'd never known until she was with him. But to allow this weakness to prosper would be to allow herself to meet her downfall.

"No, Remus," her gaze shifted to the floor. "I don't know what's gotten into you. But you're wrong. This 'love' you speak of…I think you've made it up in your mind. A manifestation of one too many fairy tales and an animalistic desire to protect, I daresay. But know this, Remus, I do care about you, if only as a friend. It was an illusion. Nothing more."

_  
When Miss Independent walked away  
No time for love that came her way  
She looked in the mirror and thought today  
What happened to miss no longer afraid?_

His eyes fluttered doubtfully for a moment, and as the beautiful hazel orbs focused themselves on her, she found herself asking if he really could have believed her? For one moment in her life, she wished she were more transparent. He sighed.

"Forgive me. Of course you're right." So he had bought her act. Now it was back to a lifetime of wondering what could have been...

"Just answer me one question, Tonks." His eyes searched her own madly. 

"Yes?"

She knew what was happening only about a second before it did-in one heart stopping moment, his lips closed against hers, entering her slightly opened mouth and ushering his tongue back and forth between their mouths for a few mere seconds. He broke away from her all too quickly, with her eyes still closed she gave a deep sigh.

_  
It took some time for her to see  
How beautiful love could truly be  
No more talk of why can't that be me  
I'm so glad I finally see...  
  
_

"Did you really think I'd buy into your little act?" He asked, grinning crookedly at her. She felt her face flush and shifted her gaze to the ground.

  
"Well yes, actually, I did," she said in mock resentment. "Like you're such a good actor yourself, I've seen right through you this whole time."

"Tonks? Do me a favor."

"Yes?"

"Less lying. More kissing."__

_  
What is this feelin' takin' over?  
Thinkin' no one could open my door  
Surprise (surprise), it's time (yeah)  
To feel (to feel) what's real  
What happened to Miss Independent?  
No longer need to be defensive  
Goodbye (goodbye), old you  
When love, when love is true...   
Miss Independent_

********

And they snogged happily ever after. The end!!!:) Ok, now where are all my reviewers? 


	2. Miss Captivated

A/N-WOW! 24 reviews! I love you people! *hugs and butterbeer all around!* Before I begin, I have just a few announcements:

1) I may or may not be able to access my computer so much from now on, so I'm not sure how this will affect the story. If I'm lucky, I'll use the time that I'm not on the computer to plan rather than just dawdling as usual, but I may not get that chance with all my homework. Stupid AP class :-P. So basically if I don't update to the day when I say I will, please don't hunt me down and kill me, I haven't forgotten!

2) For those of you who've read the first chapter while this one was on hiatus, I edited the introduction to the first chapter to include a time frame, if you're interested.

3) Bah, I've just re-read this chapter, and it looks so very plotless. But I promise it's not. Just sit back and enjoy the fluff and slight bit of drama this chapter, mmkay? 

Also, to individual readers:

-Ofthewest: I agree, and I didn't think I represented the age difference well enough when I posted it. I'm trying to put more emphasis on this now, let me know if it's working!

-Erin, Kate, and Mrs. Thompson: Ha ha. Or ha da na:) Thanks for the reviews, they still count! It is almost a chapter, and now look, it's a whole chapter! Wow! *gasp*. Also, note the use of the word "bunnies" a bit further down...

-Manny2003: Well, you'll just have to stick around to find out, now, won't you? ^_^ I'm glad you liked it.

-Golden.Slumbers: Oh, don't worry; this definitely won't fall into the infinite black hole of millions of words long, plotless fluff. Now that's not to say I don't have plans of writing plotless fluff ever again, because that's most certainly not true, but this fic will indeed have a plot, although it might not introduce itself for another chapter or two. But don't you worry. The plot bunnies are being kept well fed and are ready to jump into action whenever I call them.

-Everyone else who reviewed: I really appreciate your reviews, please keep me updated on how I'm doing, how much you like the way the plot's going, etcetera. I love to hear from you!!!!

So without further adieu...

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Chapter 2-Miss Captivated

The sun cascaded in through the old window, warming the face of the sleeping witch in the corner. She allowed her eyes to flutter open and squinted as she adjusted to the sudden change in light. The clock on the nightstand read just past eight in the morning, and although Tonks knew she should have gotten out of bed hours ago, she fought the urge to roll back over and fall asleep again. She couldn't quite remember the dream she'd been having, but it had involved Remus and that was exactly the type of dream that was worth staying in bed for. As she shrugged on a dressing gown, she tried to recall some of the details. It had been an infinitely good dream. She had touched him; no, she had kissed him, but she couldn't remember why. She scanned her brain for answers as she walked into the kitchen sleepily, where a loud yawn announced her arrival. The kitchen was practically deserted, save for Sirius and Remus sitting around the large table, who seemed to have stopped talking the moment she'd entered.

"Tonks," said Remus, in his neutral, pleasant tone of voice, "Good morning."

"Morning, Remus; Sirius," she said, nodding at them both respectively. Sirius raised an eyebrow and slyly chose the words "Yes, morning indeed. We've all slept a bit late today, I wonder why that is?"

"I've just been telling Sirius that you didn't arrive until quite late last night and that I couldn't sleep, and for the strangest reason he doesn't seem to believe me. Frankly I'd like to know why Sirius hasn't woken up until just minutes ago, wouldn't you?"

Tonks pursed her lips. Yes, she could remember coming back from...something fairly late. In fact it had almost been midnight. And there wasn't a reason for Remus to lie to Sirius, so yes, that must have been about right. But what had she _done last night? She shook her head and wished for about the millionth time in her life that she could change her ability to remember facts as well as her appearance at will. As she thought, Sirius took from his place at the table to the sink a cleaned plate that looked as if it had once been the home to several layers of that muggle breakfast Hermione had called "canpakes" and a considerable amount of a syrupy substance. _

"It's my house, you know, Remus. I'm allowed to do as I please, at whatever hour I please."

Remus smiled. "Why so defensive?"

"No reason. Simply stating the facts...well, I should probably go get dressed. You know, it's been nearly a week since last Hogwarts term ended, shouldn't we be seeing about getting Harry to headquarters? I could stop by; give those muggles a nice little visit..." Sirius crouched down on all fours and began to growl in a manner that might have been fierce had he not been wearing a flowery nightshirt he'd found while cleaning the house a few days earlier. Remus on the other hand, was already dressed in a plain black, slightly frayed robe, and seemed to be wearing matching pants underneath. Tonks couldn't help but notice a sliver of a thin white undershirt that was visible through his robes, which were hanging just a bit too low on his chest to be good for her concentration. She realized Sirius had been staring up at her with a sad puppy look in his eyes for a moment before she remembered to laugh good-naturedly, and patted Sirius on the head on her way to the faded oak cabinets. 

"Down, boy," Tonks commanded as Sirius pretended to snap at her fingers. His eyes darted around the room briefly before he scampered out of the room, still on two more limbs than he had entered with. She gave an amused sigh and proceeded to pour herself a cup of coffee, as well as quickly toasting a piece of bread with her wand. She sat at the table across from Remus, and she noticed that the look in his golden hazel eyes had changed from a friendly, content look to a more intense gaze.

"I thought it would be best if I didn't mention to Sirius our...run-in last night. I hope you don't mind."

Tonks promptly dropped to coffee mug she was carrying, causing the liquid to spill all around herself and the table. A small shriek escaped her mouth as Remus commanded the coffee to "Scourgify!" he smiled, the wavy, crooked line forming at his mouth captivating her through her astonishment. "I don't think the coffee does much to comfort you if it ends up on the floor," he offered, handing her the mug that had miraculously not broken. She felt her pupils dilate and her face grow a strange shade of red she couldn't have produced of her own free will.  

"You mean..." her voice trailed off, contemplating the abrupt flash of memory silently. 'No,' she told herself firmly. 'I dreamed that. It never really happened.' Nevertheless, Remus seemed too amused by Tonks' reaction to agree with what she was forcing herself to believe. "Did we really...?"She decided, was an innocent enough question to ask. His chuckle unnerved her slightly. 

"That all depends on what you mean by 'really'. If you're attempting to use it as a verb meaning 'senselessly snog a considerable portion of the night away', then yes, I'd say we 'really'. Or however you might go about saying that in the past tense." 

"Oh," she said in a small voice. "Right." She waited for a long, awkward silence to follow, but it never came. Instead she found in the interval between the rude cacophonies mundane noises, a melodic tune composed of her knowledge that he could see into her very thoughts; that he knew that she'd very much like to resume where they'd left of last night right here on the kitchen table, but that she was much too dignified to admit it. And she, in turn, could see that he was clearly enjoying his position at the moment. As their thoughts collided in midair and produced note after note in the grand symphony that was becoming this moment in time, a moment that Tonks was pressing into her memory with all her might for no particular reason right down to the dirty canpake dish by the sink, her thoughts shifted to Sirius and suddenly the composer of her life threw his hands at the keys in frustration, causing a rapid collision of the beautiful notes into something sour. At this, she was prompted to stand and clear her dish of a half eaten piece of toast from the table. 

"What did you tell Sirius, anyway?" she asked coolly as soon as her back was to him at the sink.

"I told him as much of the truth as I could without scarring him for life."

"Was that really your concern? For him?" she asked sarcastically.

"I'm...not quite sure I understand your question."

"You were worried about what he'd think, weren't you? Rational, responsible Remus having a little fun after hours with some practically teenage witch up in her bedroom...I know exactly how that would translate down at the Hog's Head!" In her anger, she forgot her wand entirely and had begun to do the dishes by hand, which proved to be a dangerous task, as the plates kept slipping from her grip and threatening to break. 

"But what you're implying is something that completely didn't-"

"Do you think Sirius would care what I'm implying? You know exactly what he'd say. Can't have poor Remus damaging his sparkling clean reputation." She made a noise of disgust as a dish slid from her hands and crashed against the wooden planks of the floor. Remus quickly rose from his chair and ordered the dish to "Reparo!" He then turned to face Tonks, grabbing her wrist and forcing her to stop her cleaning rampage. 

"Listen," he began calmly but firmly, "there were two reasons I didn't tell Sirius every detail of last night. One of those is that I didn't want this complicating things; complicating our work with the Order, or our relationship with the others in the house. And I most certainly didn't want those others in the house complicating whatever may or may not happen between us in the future," he added with an encouraging smile. "The rest of them can't know, not just yet, anyway."

She sighed. "You're right. I'm just making something out of nothing. I forget to warn you right before I go psychotic." He smiled and brushed a stray strand of now long raven hair off her face, his hands lingering on her face for one split second before he kissed her gently and turned to leave the room. A thought suddenly occurred to her.

"Remus?"

She nearly forgot herself as he turned around, his golden eyes catching the reflection of the sunlight and creating a truly heart stopping effect on her. 

"Yes?"

 "What was the other reason you didn't tell Sirius?

He assumed a professor-like air and met her gaze with honesty and seriousness. "That wouldn't have been very gentlemanly of me, now would it?" 

She closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. Honestly, did he have to have the perfect answer? She wasn't sure if she was more taken with his reply or the fact that she knew he'd meant it. 

"You really are too good for me, you know that?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly and allowed a lopsided grin to pass over his face. "I know. But you love me anyway."

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	3. Miss Play It Smart

A/N-*jaw drops* 39 REVIEWS!?! 39...that's like...almost twice as many hours as there are in a day!!! *huggles all around* Well I just have to say THANK YOU ALL SOOOOO MUCH, because really, what's a story without reviews? Not good, that's what.

Oh, and sorry for the delay *again* :-P. I don't anticipate such a horribly long break between chapters next time. I'm setting a strict date for my self: next chapter up October 26th, and not a day later! And if that doesn't happen, someone strangle me. Please.

Special thanks to Susanna for the reference to looks ^_^

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Chapter 3-Miss Play It Smart

 Tonks returned to her room and dressed herself in her favorite pair of robes, a black pair with stitching that periodically changed color, and decided on a shade of teal for her hair, which was hanging around her waist. She couldn't help it; something about today made her want to look radiant. The sun was shining, it was the middle of summer, and best of all, Remus loved her. She couldn't remember ever feeling happier. After one last check that her hair was exactly the right hue, she spun out of the room and nearly tripped over Sirius, who was, to her amusement, still crawling around on all fours.

"Doesn't that work better when you're covered in fur and you find chasing cats your favorite pastime?" Tonks asked him sarcastically.

"Well, see the problem is I've lent all my good fur coats to Ron. He's not great at returning things, that one. And I've never much appreciated chasing cats. Squirrels are much faster. I think it has something to do with-"

  
"Wait. Are the Weasleys here? I thought they weren't coming until-"

Until Saturday.

Which was yesterday.

Which meant that, assuming they had indeed arrived on time, they were at Grimmauld Place last night...

Tonks felt pale. Suppose Ron or Ginny had gotten up for a midnight snack and found her with Remus? That'd be a pretty picture. Remus was more than their former teacher. He was like a friend to each of his students. She didn't want to think about the looks on their faces if they'd seen him looking at her like that. He had looked at her like that...it was almost as if he had a special look, just for her. A look. He had a look. She smiled briefly before she noticed that Sirius was staring up at her with an absolutely perplexed expression on his face.

"Tonks? Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"

Immediately she snapped to attention, forsaking her girlish grin in exchange for a businesslike stare. "So, the Weasleys. Did they arrive alright?" She knew her voice had shifted about an octave, but there wasn't much she could do. Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"They're fine; they got in at a bit before supper. It's only Molly and Arthur, and then the twins, Ron, and Ginny. Oh, and they brought Hermione. But I don't think we're finished. I'm sure there's something you were going to say just a moment ago."

"I'm sure all the coffee you've had this morning is not only impairing your judgment; it's impairing your sanity. Don't you have something to be doing? Because it was you who just suggested that we get Harry down here as soon as possible, which should be pretty soon, as he can't be very happy without his friends." She inwardly patted herself on the back for such quick thinking. Sirius scratched his head.

"Right. I'm putting Remus in charge of that. Let him know for me, won't you?" Sirius said briefly before scampering off down the hall again. Tonks meandered off in the opposite direction. She was going to have to tell Remus to be more careful, that's what she needed to let him know. Honestly, _he_ had half a brain; shouldn't he have remembered that the Weasleys were coming? Or maybe he was just too busy giving her the look...she sighed. He had a look. Something about that thought made her feel like she was flying. A look. For her. She continued in her dreamlike state until she distinctly heard a loud crash from behind her.

"Sirius! Just what do you think you're doing on four legs when we haven't gotten this place into a livable state yet? There could be Doxies squirming around in the carpet!" 

Turing around, Tonks recognized from the distance a short bob of slightly faded red hair glowering down at Sirius. _That voice could belong to none other than..._

"But Molly, the Doxies only live in the curtains. How long have you been a witch? Honestly, it's just a bit of fun."

"Wouldn't surprise me a bit if a few of them had moved to the carpets, it's so full of them in the drawing room. Now perhaps you can explain to me what you're doing right now?"

Tonks turned to leave, but what she heard next caught her attention. Sirius' voice dropped to a low whisper.

"If you must know, I'm trying to get some information out of Tonks. She's hiding something. I know it." Tonks crept a few feet closer and hid behind a doorway that was under a yard from Sirius' hind legs.

"Unless it's something about the Order, I'm afraid that's her business and not yours, dear. Now get up and stop acting like a child. The boys certainly don't need any more ideas. And neither does Ginny, for that matter," she added quickly, perhaps sensing a half formed idea of Sirius'. 

"Yes, well, whatever it is, Remus knows about it too. He was never good at keeping secrets."

"Sirius, would you please mind your own business? If they mean for you to know, you will find out. Stop being such a gossip and find something useful to do. And speaking of useful, what exactly where you doing last night?"

Tonks, relived, snuck out from the doorway and started down the stairs. She was almost at the bottom when-

"OUTSIDE? OUTSIDE? SIRIUS BLACK, DO YOU REALIZE THAT ANY SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY COULD FURTHER JEOPORDIZE THE STATUS OF THE ORDER? IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED A WALK, GET REMUS TO PUT YOU ON A LEASH, BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY THAT-"

So Sirius was getting what he deserved for snooping into her private life. Good, she thought, maybe Mrs. Weasley would keep him occupied long enough to have a quick chat with Remus. Or, maybe she could talk with him privately in her bedroom for a moment. Or several moments. Whatever time allotted, she thought, grinning. She wondered how many looks he might be able to fit into a moment. Still smiling, her feet mindlessly steered her to the library, where she had known Remus would be without consciously thinking about it. She wondered if this was related, in any way, to the look. Indeed, Remus was sitting at one of the desks, absorbed in something he was scrawling out in his small, loopy handwriting on a short piece of parchment.

"You should know," Tonks said by way of introducing her presence, "that Sirius expects you to be in charge of getting Harry here."

"Of course he does," said Remus, without looking up from his writing. "I'm putting together an advance guard right now. How many do you think we'll need; does eighteen sound good?"

"Eighteen what?"

"People, of course. We'll need some to fly in front of him, and if we bring Alastor, he'll want about five more for the back, and then some spare fliers just in case one of us spontaneously combusts halfway there, and-"

"Do you really think Harry needs that many people? How about half that. I don't think those muggle houses are big enough for eighteen extra people, anyway."

"Fine," Lupin finally looked up from the parchment with a golden glint in his eye. "Nine it is."

Against her will she smiled, then remembered that the house now had seven additional people who might be wandering about anywhere in the house. 

"Remus, we need to talk," she started slowly, pulling up a chair from the desk that sat opposite to the one Remus had crowded with notes. She couldn't help but notice he looked slightly nervous, but he remained enough composure to respond, "Certainly. What would you like to talk about?"

"It's just..." as much as they needed to be more careful, careful was never something Tonks enjoyed being, or even thinking about being. She took a breath. "We really need to start being...cautious. I just heard Sirius talking to Mrs. Weasley, who, by the way, was here last night, and he knows something's up between us. He just doesn't know what yet. Now, Sirius isn't the smartest wizard I know, but if he finds out, he'll be parading around here like he is. And I'm positive that the Weasleys wouldn't have needed to witness the..." she cleared her throat, "display last night."

Remus looked as if he'd just been released from a very tight grip. She watched his body relax against the chair, and as he ran his fingers through his hair, he let out a quiet sigh that sent a chill down her spine.

"Yes. You're absolutely right. That was my fault, I knew the Weaselys were coming, I just-" 

"Why are you so nervous?" She asked, letting her hand slide from her lap to his hand. He looked at his watch briefly.

"I thought that you were going to go on record as having the shortest relationship ever. We've been...whatever you want to call it, for only about ten hours."  
"You thought I was breaking up with you?"  
"'Breaking up'...that's such a teenage term..."

"Well I'm most certainly not 'breaking up'."

"Then you're the first person ever to start a conversation with 'we need to talk' and not have it end in immeasurable grief."

Her hand slid up his arm to meet his cheek. "Never. I'll never hurt you. I promise you."

"I know."

"No you don't."

"No, I don't," he agreed, "but I will."

"Ok," she said softly. And turning to leave, she noticed something come over her face, something that came straight from the bottom of her heart and projected itself through her eyes-

A look. She had a look, too.

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End file.
